Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

like honestly why do we bother?

Then don't. Problem solved.

I dont have a problem with earls playing, but we know what he can do, and he has plenty of minutes this season so against japan we dont need him.

It's just another gash selection! No need for Sexton to start this one. He can come in off the bench. Larmour would be a better selection than Lowe or Earls! When does Farrell trust younger players? How can he trust Lowe? Possibly the worst defending wing on a tier 1 international team! By a mile.

What would be the sense of going out at full strenght and risking injuries? This match is meaningless. If the selection proves to be true, then Farrell hasn't learned a thing. Capping players v the U.S is as worthwhile as capping them v Zebre!

Gerry Thornley has spoken

IRELAND (possible) v Japan: H Keenan; A Conway, G Ringrose, B Aki, J Lowe; J Sexton, J Gibson-Park; A Porter, R Kelleher, T Furlong; J Ryan, T Beirne; C Doris, J van der Flier, J Conan.

Replacements: D Sheehan or R Herring, C Healy or D Kilcoyne, F Bealham or Healy, I Henderson, P O’Mahony, C Murray, J Carbery, K Earls.

Potential wash out of the entire series as far as bringing in new players goes. I can't imagine he'll give starts to any younger players against NZ if this is how he is approaching the Japan game. This team should take care of Japan with the pack in this selection but a loss to the ABs and he'll have to go all out against Argentina too. I'd imagine 2 out of 3 is the least he can take from this and feel secure. Will he give starts out to the likes of HB, Frawley, etc. against Argentina? If this is the selection it seems like a blown opportunity, not idea why Lowe is in there, and I love Conway but is he a realistic prospect for RWC? He'll be 32, I guess he's a possible.

The pack on paper should be far too strong for Japan but do you honestly think they will be giving it their all when they know NZL is coming next week? The backline selection is so uninspiring I honestly question the point of the game, what will we actually learn. I mean playing Earls has to be some kind of practical joke? Part of me would be laughing if Aki and Sexton were to miss the kiwi game for whhatever reason because of playing this game, it would be poetic justice for the coaching team. This would be the perfect game to test Frawley at 12 & Balacoune at 14 to see if they can step up to this level (never mind giving Carbery another 60 minutes to run a game at 10 but instead Farrell has gone for daddy's ducking army.

I hope that’s the team, just to be able to skip past dozens of posts of people making the same point over and over.

Carbery mainly because he's next in line but really either 10 would work in this scenario, this idea of playing Sexton in every game is tier 2 level nonsense.

I get the logic in playing Lowe, you want him to learn about defending at this level and the only way you can improve is with game time. He does have attacking qualities that I think would be used to greater effect if he was playing for anyone else in the NH but in Ireland we clearly dont do anything in training from the 11-15 bar afew moves off a line out so we dont and probably wont ever get to see his true value but on the off chance we do change and start using the backs properly I think its a project worth exploring.

Whoever the no.2 out half is, should be starting this weekend and v Argentina, simply because Sexton is 36 and is very injury prone.

It should have been Carty starting this weekend but Farrell has opted to pick a guy who hasn't had a good game in 3 years ahead him, so he should have the courage of his convictions and start his guy in an Autumn international against a tier 2 nation.

I've defended Andy Farrell but it's difficult to defend him when he's starting a 36 year old 10 against a tier 2 nation 2 years from a RWC.

I don’t see any issue, if I were preparing for the New Zealand match I’d want to select almost the same team against Japan.

Pick your best team to play together, and then for NZ deal with any injuries and hope there won’t be many.

I wouldn’t think too much about Argentina until after the NZ match.

Maybe its more down to the fact that we moan about our problems at 10 yet dont have the balls to back someone other than Sexton ....against Japan...

Meh, it wouldn't matter. The same people would just move on to the next CONSERVATIVE selection.

It stopped being about actual selections long ago.

Nah, if I wanted to prepare for NZ, a good fast-paced battle with Japan would be an ideal warm-up.

Again, I’d pick the best team possible for Japan, and if gaps appear through injury, the next in line gets a chance against NZ.

Sexton will need a match to get ready, otherwise I’d start Carbery and keep him again for NZ. Going in cold against NZ just isn’t good preparation.

I’d bet that Farrell knows what his best team is, and he would have consulted with Sexton and his medics to figure out the best preparation for him, and I’d expect they would have said give him a start against Japan, and if any niggles or fatigue come off at 50-60 mins, or even just take him off anyway if that is sufficient to prime him for the following weekend.

I’ve watched a fair bit of Leinster this season and I’d have no problem saying Sexton is the form 10 right now, so as a selector Farrell should be thinking how to get the best out of him against NZ, and my guess is starting against Japan is the best prep.

It's not conservative, it's stupid.

Forget the rest of the team, I don't really care about that.

Starting a 36 year old out half in an uncompetitive game at home against a tier 2 nation, 2 years out from a World Cup is just objectively stupid.

But this is the problem, why is everything about preparing for NZ?

It's one uncompetitive game and everyone knows that NZ won't be at their best.

What about preparing for the 6 Nations or the RWC? surely their more important?